LOS ANGELES — The Dallas Mavericks posted Friday afternoon showing players working out together at the PLYRS UNTD Performance Center in Los Angeles. The team holds media day next Friday.
The Playa Vista building opened Aug. 4. PLYRS UNTD, the commercial and fan-facing brand of the National Basketball Players Association, runs it as a 24/7 training center open only to NBA players.
Kyrie Irving gave the NBPA direct input on the renovation. His name is on the list of players the union credited in its Aug. 4 announcement.
Irving has not played in an NBA game since March 3, 2025. That night he tore the ACL in his left knee against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center. Dallas ruled him out for the 2025-26 season on Feb. 18. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 50 games before the injury.
On Friday, the team announced that media day will be held Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, Mavericks coach Dusty May, and players are scheduled to attend. Training camp practices begin the following day.
Most of the league holds media day Sept. 28. Dallas starts earlier because of the NBA China Games. The Mavericks play the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena in Macao on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11. It is the franchise’s first trip to China since 2018, when Dallas played the Philadelphia 76ers in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Inside The PLYRS UNTD Performance Center In Playa Vista
The building was the practice facility of the LA Clippers before they moved to Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The gym has two full courts and eight baskets. That is enough for full-court scrimmages alongside half-court drills and individual workouts.
According to the NBPA, the courts are built to official league specifications. The release listed an athletic training room for treatment and rehabilitation, a weight room with equipment hand-selected by NBA players, and dedicated indoor and outdoor turf. Recovery space includes a sauna, a steam room, dry floating, a massage therapy room, and a meditation pod. The building also has a family room, conference rooms, and an onsite culinary program with pre- and post-workout fueling.
During the peak offseason training window, players get onsite breakfast and lunch and a dedicated smoothie bar. Athletic training, physical therapy, and massage therapy are also available at select times. PLYRS UNTD coordinates two runs a week. The Los Angeles site follows the NBPA’s New York headquarters and The Sanctuary, a PLYRS UNTD offseason retreat for players in Andalucía, Spain.
David Kelly is the NBPA’s executive director and the chief executive of PLYRS UNTD. In the same release, he said Los Angeles is one of the game’s biggest offseason hubs.
“This performance center is a direct reflection of our commitment to providing players with the absolute best resources to maximize their potential,” Kelly said. “By building a space shaped entirely by player feedback, we are ensuring our members have access to an elite, player-centric environment in one of the game’s biggest offseason hubs.”
Kyrie Irving And Cooper Flagg Head Into Dusty May’s First Dallas Mavericks Camp
Back on May 28, Mavericks general manager Mike Schmitz told reporters that Irving had been around the practice facility almost daily.
“I can say he’s been doing everything human possible to maximize his talent … just to see his approach, and how he’s attacking things every day, has been incredibly impressive,” Schmitz said.
The next night, Irving went on a Twitch stream and said he was close to being all the way back.
“It’s been a while now. It’s been a year and change,” Irving said. “I’m so grateful that I’ve had the time to heal … and just pushing myself to the limit.”
Cooper Flagg won Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 70 starts. He also made the All-Rookie First Team. He and Irving have never shared the floor in a regular-season game.
Ujiri took over basketball operations on May 4. He has talked with Irving about playing alongside Flagg.
“I think Kyrie will fit,” Ujiri said on May 20. “I’ve said it before: There’s a huge curiosity in our minds to see how Kyrie fits playing with Cooper Flagg.”
Last season, Dallas finished 26-56 and 12th in the Western Conference. May was hired June 22, a day before the draft. Dallas used the ninth overall pick on Morez Johnson Jr., who played for May at Michigan. Zaccharie Risacher arrived in a July trade. Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser came in separate deals that same month.
After the two games in Macao, the Mavericks close the preseason at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 14 and the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 16. May coaches his first regular-season game against Houston on Oct. 21. Tip-off in Houston is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.
